EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball returns to the friendly surroundings of Liberty Arena for a three-game homestand, starting Saturday when Tennessee Tech University comes to Evansville. Tipoff Saturday is slated for 3:30 p.m.
The USI Screaming Eagles (9-12, 4-7 OVC) were 1-2 on their latest road swing, including a heartbreaking 66-65 loss to Morehead State University to start this week’s action. USI junior guard Jayland Randall led three players in double-digits at Morehead State with 16 points, while sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi and graduate forward Jack Mielke followed with 13 points and 12 points, respectively.
For the season, Randall leads the team with 14.6 points per contest, while junior guard Damoni Harrison follows with 14.1 per game. Olowoniyi rounds out the double-figure scorers with 13.6 points per game and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per contest.
The Golden Eagles of TTU (10-11, 5-5 OVC), who visit Morehead State Thursday before coming to USI, snapped a four-game losing streak last Saturday with an 89-85 overtime win at the University of Tennessee at Martin. TTU is 6-4 in the previous 10 games, including a five-game winning streak.
USI lost on the road, 68-64, in the first meeting of this season with TTU. Olowoniyi led USI with a double-double, 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Harrison added 20 points.
The homestand will continue next week for Homecoming Week when the Screaming Eagles host the University of Arkansas at Little Rock January 6 and Southeast Missouri State University January 8 (Homecoming game). Game time for both contests is 7:30 p.m.
All of the USI Basketball action can be seen live on ESPN+. The game can also be heard on ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com) and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
Tickets for all USI home dates are on sale now at USIScreamingEagles.com.
USI comes home three-game homestand
Pozzato and Comer post career games in win over Racers
UE takes 78-74 win over Murray State
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Gabriel Pozzato and Tayshawn Comer set their career scoring marks as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team defeated Murray State by a final score of 78-74 on Wednesday night at the Ford Center. The victory halted a 5-game skid against the Racers with the last Purple Aces win coming at the Ford Center on Dec. 21, 2019.
Pozzato was 10-of-14 from the field and connected on four triples on the way to his career game. His 29 points eclipsed his previous high of 28, which came in the season opener at North Texas. Just behind him was Comer. He scored 27 points, one better than his 26-point game at Southern Illinois on New Year’s Day. He was 13-of-14 from the line and finished with six assists. Tanner Cuff picked up a double-double with 12 points and 12 caroms.
“It was an entertaining game. Definitely a little too close for comfort but to get a win like that in front of the home crowd is very exciting,” UE head coach David Ragland said. “Our league has done a great job of bringing in schools that are close to each other and that creates rivalries and exciting atmospheres.”
Tayshawn Comer recorded Evansville’s first five points of the game as the Purple Aces hit their first four shots of the game to take a 10-5 lead. The defense for UE held Murray State to a 2-for-11 start from the field as the offense pushed the lead to ten at the 13:25 mark. Gabriel Pozzato’s second triple of the night capped the run forcing a MSU time out.
It did not take long for the Racers to regroup. They quickly scored five in a row before extending the rally to a 17-0 stretch. Murray State held the Aces scoreless for over 11 minutes as they took over control of the game. Their defense held UE to ten consecutive missed shots and five turnovers during the rally. Pozzato’s third triple of the night ended the run as UE closed in the final minutes to make it a 25-20 MSU lead entering the break.
Scoring the first six points of the second half, Evansville retook the lead in the opening two minutes. Connor Turnbull had a putback during the stretch to help UE regain a 26-25 advantage. Murray State fought back to tie the game at 34-34 before another 3-pointer by Pozzato with 13:46 remaining put UE back on top at 42-36. It took just over six minutes for UE to surpass its entire scoring output from the opening period.
The Racers continued to fight back, cutting the gap to a single point as the game entered the final 12 minutes. UE slowly pushed lead back to five points with seven minutes left, but each time the Aces added to the lead, the Racers came right back to make it a 1-point game.
As the game entered the final two minutes, a Turnbull alley-oop gave Evansville its largest lead of the second half at 67-58. Just when it looked like UE would pull away for the win, Murray State made one final push. The Racers chipped away in the final seconds as a triple cut the gap to 72-69 with 34 ticks on the clock. Two more Comer free throws and a Josh Hughes dunk put the Aces up five inside of the final 10 seconds before another MSU triple got them within two at 76-74.
Comer was fouled with 0.7 remaining and connected on both free throws to put the game on ice and seal the 78-74 triumph. The Racers were led by JaCobi Wood’s 29 points.
UE shot over 50% for the second game in a row as they finished at 57.4%. The Aces finished the second half shooting 70.4% with 19 out of 27 field goal tries finding the bottom of the net. Murray State shot 37.5% on the night. The Aces are back on the road on Sunday for a 2 p.m. game at Belmont.
CCO EXCLUSIVE: Evansville Leaders Pitch $100 Million Multi-Purpose Downtown Stadium During Statehouse Testimony
By Johnny Kincaid CCO Exclusive Coverage January 30, 2025
Among the bills in the current Indiana legislative session is a proposal to increase funding allocated to the Evansville Professional Sports and Convention Development Area (EPSCDA). Currently, the limit for EPSCDA funding is $10 per resident, but the new bill would create a maximum total of $5 million, an increase of hundreds of percent over what can be raised under the $10 cap.
An Evansville delegation of business and political leaders traveled to Indianapolis for the hearing. Justin Groenert and former mayor Lloyd Winnecke represented E-REP, and Evansville Deputy Mayor Lindsay Locasto watched while Mayor Stephanie Terry, Ron Romain of United Companies,and Old National Bank CEO James Ryan testified.
PLANS TO BUILD A $100 MILLION MULTIPURPOSE STADIUM DOWNTOWN
During the testimony, it was revealed that the commitment of funds would allow the city to secure up to $100 million in bonds to build a multipurpose sports facility on the riverfront. The 5,000-seat stadium would be able to host a variety of activities including baseball games.
Those baseball games would be played by a minor team with an MLB affiliation. That affiliation is expected to be with a team that has not yet been approved for Nashville, Tennessee.
During testimony, the committee was told that the new $100 million multipurpose facility would fit into the plans released by E-REP last year for a $600 million redesign of the riverfront. The riverfront plan, it was explained, included housing, shopping, dining, other sports, and recreation located nearby. The Multipurpose facility was not included in the riverfront plans from E-REP, nor was the $100 million cost.
The estimated number of visitors to events at the site was presented as 277,000 annually. To reach that number would require 55 sold-out shows per year.
NO TAX INCREASE
HB 1451 is authored by State Representative Tim O’Brien and cosponsored by Wendy McNamara, Matt Hostettler, and Alex Burton. Burton and Ways and Means Committee member Tim O’Brien were the only co-authors in attendance.
O’Brien explained that the funds captured for the proposed project will come from state income tax revenue .
Could a New Stadium be in the Works Downtown?
While the bill does not explicitly earmark funds for a semi-professional baseball stadium, the additional revenue could potentially support such a project, depending on decisions made by local leaders. The project appears to align with ongoing discussions about enhancing sports infrastructure in Evansville.
The idea of a baseball stadium has a contentious history in Evansville politics. In the 2003 mayoral election, Democratic candidate Jonathan Weinzapfel successfully campaigned against incumbent Republican Mayor Russell Lloyd Jr., partly by mocking Lloyd’s proposal for a $20 million downtown baseball stadium. Lloyd envisioned the stadium as the home of a AAA baseball team affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a move he believed would bring economic benefits and revitalization to the downtown area.
As of now, it is unclear which specific entity in Evansville is driving the push for a state grant to fund a semi-professional baseball stadium under the provisions of HB 1451. Typically, such efforts involve collaboration between local government, economic development organizations, and private sector stakeholders. Given the historical debates over similar projects, any proposal for a stadium is likely to attract significant public and political scrutiny.
In summary, HB 1451 could provide Evansville with substantial new funding opportunities through the PSCDA, potentially enabling projects like a semi-professional baseball stadium. However, the city’s history with stadium proposals—particularly the 2003 campaign where Weinzapfel’s ad lampooned Lloyd’s $20 million baseball stadium plan—shows how divisive such initiatives can be. The success of any current effort will likely depend on how it is framed to the public and whether it avoids the perception of fiscal irresponsibility that doomed previous proposals.
IMPRACTICAL JOKER JOE GATTO BRINGS ALL NEW “LET’S GET INTO IT TOUR” TO EVANSVILLE
TICKETS GO ON SALE NATIONALLY ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, AT 10 AM
Evansville, IN – January 28, 2025 – Improv comedian and television personality Joe Gatto will perform his Let’s Get Into It Tour to Old National Events Plaza on Thursday, June 19, 2025. The show brings all new material to stage this summer and opens with special guest Mark “Jiggy” Jigarjian, who is hitting the Plaza stage for the first time. Fans can pick up tickets early during the venue presale, starting Thursday, January 30, by visiting the venue’s social media pages.
Gatto is best known from the hit TV shows “Impractical Jokers” and “The Misery Index.” Most recently, he toured for two years with his stand-up solo show “Joe Gatto’s Night of Comedy,” in sold out theaters across the United States, Canada and Australia. Prior to that, he toured with the Jokers to sold-out crowds across the world, including legendary arenas, such as Madison Square Garden in New York and the O2 Arena in London.
Joe also hosts the popular comedy podcast “Two Cool Moms” on the iHeart Radio Podcast Network where he and his co-host dispense sage motherly advice to fans who write in with their dilemmas. An accomplished author of two titles—a self-published book, “The Dogfather: My Love of Dogs, Desserts and Growing up Italian,” and a children’s picture book published by Penguin Random House, “Where’s Bearry?” Joe lives his life by a code of pastry and family, loving his wife, two adorable children, his pack of dogs and cannoli.
Mark Jigarjian is an Armenian stand-up comedian and writer based in New York City best known for his work touring with the hit television show, Impractical Jokers. Mark has been seen on TruTV, Roku Channel, TBS and Food Network and is releasing his debut stand up special “Larger Than Life,” in 2024. He’s been a guest Joker on Season 9 and 10 of “Impractical Jokers,” winner of Roku’s “Dishmantled,” and contestant on Food
Network’s “Cooks vs Cons.” Mark is a proud member of the iconic New York Friars Club and producer of the “Two Cool Moms Podcast.”
Ticket Information:
What: Joe Gatto: Let’s Ge Into It Tour Featuring Mark Jigarjian
When: Thursday, June 19, 2025, at 7:00 PM
Where: Old National Events Plaza | 715 Locust Street | Evansville, IN 47708
Tickets: Tickets start at $35.75 plus applicable fees and tax
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or the Old National Events Plaza Box Office. For more information about the Aiken Theatre, visit: www.oldnationaleventsplaza.com.
Learn Guitar for FREE at WPL
Event Details:
Date: Tuesdays, February 4 – March 18 (No lesson March 4)
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 PM
Location: Bayard Room (second floor)
Experience the joy of learning guitar in a fun and welcoming environment! Beginning February 4, join Logan Dyer, owner of Music First in Evansville, for six weeks of free acoustic guitar lessons at Willard Public Library. Open to ages 15 and up, with guitars available at no cost for registered participants.
Register Here:
https://www.willardlib.org/adult-events
Willard Public Library encourages patrons and visitors to donate graciously to ensure the continuation of events like this for years to come. The WPL’s Foundation is a non-profit organization registered as a 501(c)(3). >> https://www.willardlib.org/donate
Americans and the Holocaust traveling exhibit coming to Vincennes University’s Shake Library in March
VINCENNES, Ind., January 28, 2025 – The Vincennes University Shake Library is gearing up to host the traveling exhibit “Americans and the Holocaust,” accompanied by engaging events exploring this tragic historical period. Additionally, the library will showcase heartfelt butterfly displays created by the University Community and the public to honor the lives lost.
The exhibit will debut in the Shake Library, located in the Shake Learning Resource Center, on March 17 and run through April 28.
“Americans and the Holocaust” offers a thought-provoking look and explores the motives, pressures, and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war, and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. The Shake Library collaborated with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association (ALA) to bring the traveling exhibition to Vincennes.
VU Director of Library Services Charla Gilbert said, “The “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibit holds deep significance as it examines a pivotal and sobering chapter in history, reminding us of the importance of understanding our past to shape a more compassionate future. The Shake Library is honored to host this exhibit at VU, offering community members, VU students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to engage with its powerful message through tours and accompanying events. Together, we hope to foster important dialogue, deepen understanding, and honor the memory of those impacted by this tragic period in history.”
In conjunction with the exhibit, the Shake Library has created a Butterfly Project that offers the University Community and broader community a unique opportunity to engage with the exhibit and honor Holocaust victims. The library is asking VU students, faculty, staff, and community members to create butterflies in various forms of media, including paper, ceramics, photography, digital art, and more. Those butterflies will be on display throughout VU. The library encourages people to take a look at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s database of over 600 ID cards to get inspiration from those who experienced the Holocaust.
For additional information, to submit photos or digital files of your butterflies, or to schedule a time to drop them off at the Shake Library, contact Tiarra Basham at tiarra.basham@vinu.edu.
The Shake Library’s butterfly display is inspired by the Butterfly Project initiated by the Holocaust Museum in Houston to honor the 1.5 million Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust. The museum’s inspiration is Pavel Friedmann, a Jewish Czechoslovak poet who wrote the poem “The Butterfly” while in the Theresienstadt Ghetto. In 1944, Friedmann was transferred to Auschwitz, where he was killed. His poem was later published in a book, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children’s Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944.”
The exhibit is open any time the Shake Library is open, and operating hours are available at vinu.libguides.com/shakelibrary. 25-minute guided tours are available, but signing up in advance is required at vinu.libcal.com/space/168652. Large groups are also asked to sign up.
The Shake Library is located at 130 E. College Ave. inside the Shake Learning Resource Center on the Vincennes Campus. For more information, visit vinu.libguides.com/USHolocaustExhibit
The Shake Library’s “Americans and the Holocaust” Events include:
- “The U.S. and the Holocaust” Documentary Showing
Thursday, Feb. 20, 6-8 p.m. (ET), CANDLES Museum, Terre Haute
The CANDLES Museum will present selected clips from “The U.S. and the Holocaust”, A film by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick & Sarah Botstein.
- Opening Reception
Tuesday, March 25, 6-8 p.m. (ET), Shake Learning Resource Center Café
The Shake Library will celebrate the “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibition. The reception is free to attend but the library requests that you register for the event.
- Keynote Speaker: Trent Andrews, “Echoes from Auschwitz: The Story of Eva Kor”
March 27, 11 a.m.-Noon and 1-2 p.m. (ET), Red Skelton Performing Arts Center and Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
https://vinu-edu.zoom.us/j/95113409583
Meeting ID: 951 1340 9583
Trent Andrews serves at the Operations Director of the CANDLES Holocaust Museum in Terre Haute. He possesses more than decade of experience in Holocaust education. He has met many survivors and visited numerous Holocaust sites. Andrews will share the compelling story of Eva Mozes Kor, a twin survivor of the Holocaust and the horrific medical experiments at Auschwitz, who established Indiana’s only Holocaust museum.
- Panel Discussion: “Effects of World War II on Vincennes and Surrounding Areas”
Tuesday, April 1, 6-8 p.m. (ET), Shake Learning Resource Center, Innovation Room 112 and Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
https://vinu-edu.zoom.us/j/9180738980?omn=98156164438
Meeting ID: 918 073 8980
The discussion will feature local and state historians including: Christopher Fischer (Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana State University), Jill Weiss Simins (Archive Advocate for the Indiana Archives and Records Administration), Cynthia Killion Frederick (Knox County Public Library Staffer and Knox County Historian), and Gazella Summitt (Expert on the Jewish Community of Knox County).
- “Recitations & Reflections” featuring Vincennes University Theatre Students
Thursday, April 3, 11 a.m.-Noon (ET), Shake Learning Resource Center Café
VU students will perform readings and monologues reflecting on the people who lived during the Holocaust.
- Recital: Kyle Forehand, “Butterflies: Confronting Our Past, Ensuring Our Future”
Tuesday, April 8, 6:30-8 p.m. (ET), Shircliff Humanities Center Auditorium and Vincennes PBS recording
A search for reconciliation and justice through the music of the Holocaust, by song and lecture, told through the voice of a Nazi’s great-grandson. Arkansas native Kyle Forehand, a baritone, is currently a graduate student in the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
- Book Talk: Jason Lantzer, “Dwight Eisenhower and the Holocaust: A History”
Thursday, April 10, 11 a.m.-Noon (ET), Shake Learning Resource Center, Innovation Room 112 and Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
https://vinu-edu.zoom.us/j/9180738980?omn=95407402664
Meeting ID: 918 073 8980
Jason S. Lantzer is the author of numerous scholarly articles and books, including most recently his book about Dwight Eisenhower and the Holocaust. The research and writing of Hoosier native and Indiana University graduate centers on the intersection of religion, politics, and law in American History in addition to the impact of the Walt Disney Company on American culture. Lantzer is currently the Assistant Director of the Butler University Honors Program.
- Humanities Film and Lecture Series Screening and Discussion: “Home of the Brave: When Southbury Said NO to the Nazis”
Tuesday, April 15, 6-8 p.m. (ET), Shircliff Humanities Center Auditorium
The 36-minute film explores “how one small American town in 1937 recognized hate and evil and said no to a regime well before it would become responsible for genocide.” Following the screening, local historian and author of “Vincennes: A Pictorial History” Richard Day will lead a discussion exploring the ways Knox County and Southern Indiana responded to “Nazism, war and genocide in Europe” between 1933 and 1945.
- Indiana Jewish Historical Society Director Michael Brown, “After Survival, The Story of Joe Levine in Post-War Bavaria”
Tuesday, April 22, 11 a.m.-Noon, Zoom Only with Discussion in Shake Learning Resource Center Innovation Room 112
Join Zoom Meeting
https://vinu-edu.zoom.us/j/95233560423
Meeting ID: 952 3356 0423
Brown is Executive Director of the Indiana Jewish Historical Society, a historian, and hosts the podcast, “IN-Jewish History.” and will present the story Joe Levine, the first Executive Director of the Indiana Jewish Historical Society. Levine was one of the first social workers to arrive in Europe right after the end of World War II. He took a leave of absence from his job as executive director of Fort Wayne Jewish Federation to look after the welfare of thousands of Jewish displaced refugees who were still reeling from the unfathomable scope of tragedy and horror that was the Holocaust.
###
USI welcomes Dr. Vesna Dimitrieska as Distinguished Scholar Presenter
Every Spring, the University of Southern Indiana College of Liberal Arts engages a speaker for the Distinguished Scholars presentation aimed at drawing attention to one or more of the disciplines within the liberal arts. This year, the College will welcome Dr. Vesna Dimitrieska, Director of Global Education Initiatives at Indiana University, from 1-2 p.m. Wednesday, February 12 in Kleymeyer Hall, located in the lower level of the Liberal Arts Center, to present The Perils and Prospects of Bilingualism in the U.S. This event is open to the public at no charge, but registration is required.
Dimitrieska’s work focuses on expanding the world language programs in K through 12 education across Indiana and internationalizing P-16 education. Her research interests include language teacher cognition, language teacher identity, reflective practices of teacher educators, as well as instructional practices and professional development of language teachers in foreign/second language contexts and dual language immersion programs.
For more information about this event, visit the College of Liberal Arts’ website, or contact Dr. David Hitchcock, Chair of the World Languages and Cultures Department, at dhitchcoc@usi.edu.
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Two Deceased After Not Complying with Traffic Stop and Fleeing
At 2:58 p.m. on 1/28/2025 officers with the Evansville Police Department initiated a traffic stop at the Circle K gas station at 4101 US HWY 41. After the initial stop, the driver of the vehicle fled north on US HWY 41 at 3:01 p.m. Officers then terminated the stop, disengaging their lights and sirens. The lead officer proceeded north on US HWY 41 to attempt to monitor the fleeing driver’s actions. The fleeing vehicle continued north until being involved in a crash at the intersection of US HWY 41 and St. George. Officers immediately attempted to render aid to the occupants of the fleeing vehicle when the accident was discovered. Both occupants of the fleeing vehicle were deceased.
The investigation determined that the accident occurred when the fleeing vehicle collided with a semi- trailer that was turning east onto St. George from southbound US HWY 41. The driver of the semi-trailer did not report any injuries. While the scene was still under investigation, a witness contacted officers notifying them that a firearm was located in the area of the incident. This firearm was seized as evidence pending further investigation.
We would like to thank the Indiana State Police and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance with traffic control while this major intersection was shut down.